Train the "genes of the mind"
Genes protecting against dementia have been found
American scientists have found a link between a certain group of genes and the preservation of cognitive abilities in old age. It turned out that to enhance the activity of these genes, it is necessary to maintain intellectual activity throughout life. This explains the fact that people who are interested, who live a busy life and are constantly learning, are less susceptible to dementia. The results of the study are published in the journal Science Translational Medicine (Barker et al., MEF2 is a key regulator of cognitive potential and confers resilience to neurodegeneration).
With age, many people's memory becomes worse, cognitive abilities decrease, and in extreme cases, Alzheimer's disease or other types of dementia develop. But some people retain normal cognitive functions until old age.
To understand the mechanisms of this cognitive resilience, scientists from The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) first conducted experiments on mice. The results showed that mice that grew up in an active environment, where there were many different toys and developmental devices, compared with rodents kept in standard conditions, epigenetic changes in neurons associated with the activity of the MEF2 gene group were observed.
At first, it was believed that the transcription factor MEF2 was necessary for the development of the heart muscle, but later it was discovered that it plays an important role in the function of neurons and the development of the nervous system.
After analyzing genetic data sets involving more than 900 people, the authors found that MEF2 expression correlates with cognitive stability, and genes regulated by the MEF2 factor control a genetic program in the brain that promotes resistance to cognitive impairment. Many of these genes encode ion channels that control the excitability of neurons.
Scientists suggest that exposure to MEF2 in order to enhance it can protect against age-related dementia. At the same time, its natural activation correlates with a person's level of education and the time he spent in his life on intellectual activity.
"It becomes obvious that there are resistance factors that can protect the cognitive functions of the brain," the words of the head of the study, Dr. Li—Huei Tsai, director of the MIT Picauer Institute of Learning and Memory, are quoted in a university press release. "Understanding this resistance mechanism can be useful when we think about therapeutic interventions or preventing cognitive decline and dementia associated with neurodegeneration."
Then the researchers found out whether MEF2 can prevent the development of dementia if there is a predisposition to it. To do this, they took mice with increased expression of tau, a protein that forms clusters in the brain, which is one of the causes of dementia. It turned out that with overexpression of MEF2 at a young age in old age, they did not have the usual cognitive impairments caused by tau protein.
The findings suggest that increased MEF2 activity may protect against dementia, however, since MEF2 also affects other cell types and cellular processes, more research is needed to make sure that its activation will not have adverse side effects, the researchers say.
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